As Paul picks Spain to win the World Cup, the oracle octopus meets his nemesis: Mani

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As Paul picks Spain to win the World Cup, the oracle octopus meets his nemesis: Mani, the psychic parakeet, picks HOLLAND

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 3:56 PM on 9th July 2010
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It's the greatest challenge Paul the 'oracle octopus' has ever faced. With six correct World Cup predictions behind him, he has now made his choice for the country to win the World Cup final - Spain.

As if the pressure wasn't already more than any mollusc should ever have to bear, he has also been issued with a challenge from an unexpected quarter - Mani, Singapore's psychic parakeet. Mani - who has, according to his owner, predicted the last five games of the tournament correctly - has thrown the gauntlet down to Paul by predicting that Holland will triumph on Sunday instead.

Germans will be torn in two at the news. Half will be still be wanting to roast Paul with garlic after he predicted - correctly - that their team would lose to Spain at the semi-final.

While the other half will be hoping that Paul - who is, after all, a German octopus - will triumph against Mani, giving them some share in the glory of the World Cup final.

Today, during a live television broadcast, Paul predicted Germany would beat Uruguay in the third place playoff match on Saturday - his seventh prediction of the tournament.

And now he has made his eighth - and possibly the most important - prediction: that Spain will win the final.

His latest success came on Wednesday night, when he forecast Spain would defeat the Germans in the semi-final.

Paul was born in Weymouth in 2006 but now resides in Germany's Oberhausen's Sea Life Aquarium.
He predicts matches by choosing to eat a mussel from boxes emblazoned with the flags of the German team and its rivals.

Spain has a good chance of taking it since they were the European Cup winners...but due to the point system we devised at work...they only way I can win is if Uruguay takes 3rd and the Netherlands win.

As if the pressure wasn't already more than any mollusc should ever have to bear, he has also been issued with a challenge from an unexpected quarter - Mani, Singapore's psychic parakeet. Mani - who has, according to his owner, predicted the last five games of the tournament correctly - has thrown the gauntlet down to Paul by predicting that Holland will triumph on Sunday instead.